Designed & Edited by : Azlida Ahmad (PTSS)

Upon

By : Bakri Baharom

16 .June 2014

bkiub14@gmail.com / www.polimas.edu.my / 019-488-1430

CONSULTANTS:

Che Tum bt Ahmad (my mother) Said bin Mat Isa (my uncle) Zarina bt Salleh (my wife)

Ahmad Fauzi bin Din (my friend)

If my great grandfather, Kassim was still alive, I would be thrilled to show

him off. He departed about 30 years ago, at the age of 104. Known for his

perseverance when he and his wife, Aminah, tamed a 60-acre land of roaring

gelam trees into arable rice field, thanks to the axe and tajak alone. In the

60s, the farmers resorted to the beast of burden, buffaloes to plough the land.

My two uncles, Said and the late Hashim were quite champs at this. Their

buffaloes were trained to obey commands to step-in, proceed, turn and stop

using words like sot, cah, paling and diam respectively. After a hard day of

work, the buffaloes were rewarded to relax in a pool of mud. At night my uncles

would light up firewood at the stable to keep the buffaloes warm and mosquitoes

away. During harvesting season, they were used to transport paddy home using

a cart known as anuk. The carts were home-made from log using big saw and

beliung, initially without wheels. We used to enjoy the ride on top of the gunny

sacks stacked on the cart. The alternative was to use the big bicycle known as

gerek of which Raleigh and Robin Hood were among the most common brands.

Life was real fun then.

Even though my late father was a teacher, he was very much a farmer. However,

most of the time, he hired our villagers to work on his land. Among the variety of rice

at that period were Malinja, Ria, Mat Candu and Anak Kucing. For glutinous rice,

there were Jelahak, Gondang,Telur and Gantung Alu. The black type was simply

called Hitam. In the old days, paddy was simply dried under the blazing sun and the

children would delightedly shoo away the chickens and ducks at bay with a long pole.

The paddy was then aired to remove the chaff before being sold to the dealers. Some

were kept in a special store known as jelapang of which Kedah was renowned for,

Kedah Negeri Jelapang Padi (rice bowl). I could recollect how field workers from

Kelantan used to arrive by train through Thailand to Padang Besar. For many years a

group of them dwelled at my uncle’s house during harvesting season. Skillful at

making kites, Wau Bulan, we would emulate their admirable distinctive slang. They

termed the famous branded 555 cigarette as Lima Sederet (5 in a row).

Paddy planting commenced after raining season. The villagers used to have a

feast known as Tolak Bala before any work started. There would be a banquet

comprising of biscuits, cucur, pulut kuning, fried chicken and bertih

(popcorn), and indeed doa recital asking for bumper harvest. Subsequent to

the ceremony, a special plot of land would be prepared to grow paddy seedling

known as semai. It took 30 days after the seeds germinated before being

replanted to the actual location. There were two systems used to get the job

done, i.e. derau and kupang. The first involved a group of farmers taking turns

to work on each other’s field. No money changed hands. The second, on the

contrary, involves payment for the same job done but only for a few kupang

(cents). At the rate of RM1.20 per session, work hours were from 7.30am to

11.30am, and 2.00pm to 6.00pm respectively. Functioned like an alarm clock,

an airplane (known as jet) would fly pass our area regularly at 11.30am,

marking time for everyone to go home for noon break.

For breakfast the farmers always took glutinous rice with grated coconut and fried

fish (ikan tamban or gelama) which went extremely well with black tea or coffee.

Sometimes, steamed tapioca, cream crackers (roti empat segi) and various cucur

were served during tea breaks. I remembered it well for I was one of those always

summoned to send the ration. One thing I despised most till today were the lintah

(leech) and pacat clinging on to me. The large ones were called Lintah Kerbau. On

the way home, we used to help ourselves to exotic fruits like keriang, keduduk,

cenerai, rembia and letup. Incidentally, young cenerai also served as bullets for

our bamboo guns. The catapult (in the back pocket or around the neck) was used to

practise sharp shooting on birds in the trees. The young generation would surely envy

at our past experiences.

Before the arrival of rice mill, the

villagers resorted for the manual lesung.

A simple lesung tangan had a container

(carved log) where paddy was placed. A

six foot long wooden alu (pole) was used

to pounce the paddy to remove the chaff.

The job could also be done by up to four

persons, each one striking the alu in

tandem. The other more sophisticated type

was known as lesung hindik where a

piece of square log (6” x 6”) at the length

of about 10 feet was placed on a wooden

axle attached to two vertical poles. On one

side a two feet alu was attached while the

other end tapered to about 2” thick.

Repeatedly, the operator would step on

the side to raise the alu on the other end.

When the operator stepped off, the alu

would pound the paddy in the container. A

tampi was used to separate the white

rice, while the deviant grains would be put

back for further thumping. Sometimes,

young rice grains would be pounced to

produce a delicacy known as ringi. A

slightly more mature grain would produce

imping. The Rice Museum in Alor Setar

showcases this traditional equipment.

Should anyone long for ringi and imping,

Pekan Rabu in town should not let you

down. Incidentally, it opens every day, not

just on Wednesday.

The coconut trees remained special in

the life of my village folks. There was

hardly any house without coconut trees,

varying from kelapa pandan, bali to

gading. The first one came with scented

water whereas the last one was yellow in

colour with smaller trees and fruits. There

was a joke that a local villager actually

discovered gravity about the same time as

Newton in the last century. While Newton

experienced an apple falling on his head,

the villager got a coconut instead. He had

no chance to formulate the value of g (9.8

metre per second squared) and be in the

history book! Tough luck.

In the old days, every household must

have cangkul and parang. We were

lavished with seasonal fruits like

rambai, pupor, remia, asam,

rambutan, jack fruit (nangka),

pomelo, mango and macang. Macang's

strong scent makes hiding it nothing but

impossible. It has found its way in the

Malay proverb; Bau Macang which

means a distant relative. The villagers

also grew cash crops such as

watermelon, cucumber, lady fingers,

pumpkin, peria, petula and kangkong.

The widely planted ubi keledek or

ketela took about 3 months to be

harvested. A well would be dug to draw

water for the plants. It was all hard work

because everything was done manually.

Until the mid 1970s, rice was planted

once a year because the farmers

depended on rain water. What did they do

during the long break after harvesting

season? Quite a number of the villagers I

knew tended their fruit orchards at a

nearby hill, Bukit Tunjang. Each plot of

land was planted with mainly the king of

fruits, durian. It also included

mangosteen, petai and cempedak.

Normally, an orchard would be named

after its best durian range. For example,

we had Pisang, Buaya, Nasi Kunyit and

Batin Mas to name a few. The one that

belonged to my grandmother was called

Anak Cak. The other durian trees were

also named; Lenggang Gunung,

Jantung, Kepala Gajah, Siku, Peria

and Merah. Some other durian names

include Kucing Tidur, Kacang Hijau,

Kulat Liat, etc. Our family members took

turn to spend the night in a wooden hut to

collect the durians early the next morning.

The mere sight of fresh durian laying

under the trees would bring much delight

and joy among us. We collected water

from a stream known as katur which was

very cold and refreshing. There would be a

day during the durian season that the

orchard owners would contribute the fruits

for a big feast at our local cemetery. Some

would also fulfill their vows at the long

dead keramat (holy man) tombstones.

Such practice was later stopped as it was

regarded as against the teaching of Islam

(khurafat).

Almost every part of a coconut tree can be used. The coconut milk, like today, was

used to make curry, various cucur like bengkang, tepung bungkus, tepung talam,

lepat ubi and most of the time served with pulut durian. Grated coconut finds its way

into pulut udang, curry-puff and buah melaka. A slightly young grated coconut is

suitable for cucur ketayap, dangai and pek nga. The fresh younger coconuts become

the most famous drink of all, known as air kelapa muda (with tender coconut flesh). A

cut to the mayang of coconut would also produce nira which would become tuak (a

local fermented alcoholic drink) if left overnight.

There were various ways to harvest the coconut. The natural way was of course to wait for the ripe coconut to fall. Sometimes, a bamboo

pole with attached sickle was used to bring the coconut down. However, a young coconut might break if it falls on the hard ground. The solution

was to climb up the tree and bring it down with a rope. There was always someone in the village who earned a living by climbing coconut trees.

More often than not, monkeys were trained to pluck either ripe or young coconuts upon commands. The coconut climber or the monkey owner

would be paid a commission; for every 10 coconuts, 2 would go to the climber.

The other common cash crop among villagers was the bananas. There are two types of bananas, one can be eaten raw, like pisang

berangan, susu, emas, rastali, and lemak manis which is my favourite. The second range, such as pisang awak legur, awak minyak,

abu, nangka, kelat raja and tanduk are key ingredient for cucur. The first five are suitable for cucur lepat, kodok, lengat pisang and

pulut dakap as well as the famous Goreng Pisang (banana fritters). Tanduk is normally large in size and as extras in fish or beef curry.

However, some bananas come with seeds which depreciate its value in the market. The boiled jantung pisang was an all time favourite with

sambal belacan which rivals pucuk ubi kayu, janggus, cemumar, selum, samak and pegaga. A typical Malay dish must include ulam

which is believed to help maintain youthful look. Nasi Ulam had always been the special delicacy served during the Ramadan fasting month. It

is a mixture of rice and minced ulam like kaduk, putat, bebuas, beluntas, cenehum, kunyit, raja, sekentut, lengkuas, halia and serai

(lemon grass). To complement it, ikan talang masin and sayur keladi would make the dish so divine the recipe could have come from

heaven!

Another interesting activity among the villagers was catching fresh water

fish. There were many methods used, some of which were quite ingenious. The most

common ones would use hooks, jala and pukat (net), taut, belat, sebilai, serkap

and pelompat. The last one was made of bamboo tied intact using akar (vine) and

placed like a water gate. A haruan would jump once its way was blocked and ended

up in the trap attached to the pelompat. Another natural way was to dig a telaga

(well) where all types of fishes would emigrate to when the rice plot started to dry.

The farmers only needed to drain out the water (an activity known as timba telaga)

and collect the fishes. The most common ones were keli, puyu and sepat which

were further classified as Sepat Benua or Sepat Kedah/Ronggeng.

To catch fish using hooks was known as mengail , of which a long durable yet

light type of bamboos were used with a string (tangsi) at one end. The choice of

baits could be small frogs, worms, grasshoppers, anak-anak (haruan) and udang

padang (fresh water prawns) depending on the types of fish to catch. The haruan

could be made salted-fish and the puyu into ikan pekasam (fermented fish) and

this would see that the villagers would not be lack of protein until the next season.

The folks’ fishing skill was an art of its own. With katak minyak (smooth and

shiny skin) as bait to fish for haruan in the bigger river at night, this was known as

mengelau. Daytime fishing was known as menyuncat. The technique involved

placing the bait on the water surface on-and-off resembling the fish natural prey.

Angling for puyu using anak tebuan, captured by burning hornet nest at night,

was reserved for morning and afternoon only. You would wonder if the kaki

mengail (anglers) breathe and dream about fishing, or fish itself.

Life then was more at leisure pace. The annual

Pesta Kedah (carnival) in Alor Setar was something to

be rejoiced. At my place, there would be funfair and

Wayang China (opera) and sometimes Menora. Among

the events I remembered most was the public dance on

stage. The band would hit some contemporary numbers

like Anak Lima, Samba Jalan, Joget Pahang and

Batman. The patrons were required to buy tickets to

be allowed on the stage, then to ask the available

sitting dancers to dance. The merry spectators would

be cheering from the floor. Try watching old films to

witness the scenario.

The popular entertainment show was Wayang Kulit (shadow play) that

would normally last until midnight. The most famous group until today is Sri

Asun. The story line was always adapted from Ramayana, the immortal tale

of adventure, love and wisdom. The two characters, Etong and Enoi

brought much laughter with their idiosyncrasies and antics. A well-known

orchestra group, Chandeni from Batu 5, Sik consisted of members playing

various gendang (drums), biola (violin), gambus and accordion. The

singers would sing Malay, Hindustani and Arabic songs with two supporting

“lady-like” male dancers. One of the most famous comedians was

nicknamed Hassan Bubur Kacang. He would tickle your “funny-bone” the

moment he appeared on stage. However, I have fading memory on the

other show called Hadrah which according to the elders was adopted from

the middle-east. The song titles included Layang Mas, Cinta Sayang and

Mak Enang Tua.

1960s was the Beatles era where Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Star and

George Harrison were the idols. Their hair styles, shoes, tight trousers and

Lennon’s spectacles were the most cool fashion items among the youngsters.

Locally, the musical band was known as KUGIRAN (Kumpulan Gitar Rancak) of

which the decade was known as Pop Yeh Yeh. The legends, the bands and the

songs were like Jefri Din & The Siplap Five (Siti Haida), L.Ramlee & Teruna Ria

(Dara Pujaan, Seruling Anak Gembala), A. Halim & D’Fictions (Salam

Mesra), A. Rahman Hassan (Tak Mengapa), S. Jibeng (Selamat Tinggal

Pujaan), Kassim Selamat (LaAube), J. Sham (Resam Dunia), M. Sharif

(Pujaan Hati), and M. Othman (Suzana) to name a few. Fifty years later, the

songs remain as popular as ever. Another legendary golden voice was Ahmad Jais

with songs like Mengharap Sinar, Menelan Kabus, Kucupan Azimat, Lima

Tahun Kucari, Umpan Jinak DiAir Tenang, Bahtera Merdeka, Menanti

Diambang Syurga and Sejak Kita Berpisah that would find no match for a

long time.

The Hindi Films (Bollywood) fanatics in my village enjoyed very much block

busters like Haathi Mere Saathi (1971, Rajesh Khanna & Tanuja), Hare Rama Hare

Krishna (1971, Dev Anand & Zeenat Aman), Bobby (1973, Rishi Kapoor & Dimple

Kapadia), Chupke Chupke (1975, Damendra & Samila Tagore) and the best of all,

Sangam (1964, Raj Kapoor & Vyjayanthimala). The songs by Mohamed Rafie, Lata

Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar would send them to cloud nine. The 70s also saw

Kung Fu films gaining popularity with heroes like David Chiang, Fu Sheng, Ti Lung

and later on Bruce Lee (The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon and Enter the

Dragon). Of course no one matches P. Ramlee with his legendary films Anak ku

Sazali (1957), Ibu Mertua Ku (1963), Madu Tiga (1964), etc. which will last a

thousand years.

Wedding reception was very elaborate then. It seemed that time stopped when the auspicious day came. Apart from the free

flow of food and drink, Silat Pulut performance by the local self-defense practitioners was always something to look forward to.

The best were always from the elders who combined their playful skills and witty acts. The accompanying band would consist of

gendang (drum), serunai, and gong with the players in warrior-like attire and headgear added much excitement. Another group

of village elders would also organise religious based song/choir known as berzanji. Another time would be to celebrate the newly

born with berendui. When boys reached around 10 to 12 years old, they would be circumcised. Again, the whole villagers get

together to witness the event that would mark the beginning of manhood. Who would forget the encounter with Tok Mudim ?

Before electricity was accessible, life was very much different. At night, the elders would go for casual visits around the neighbourhood, chatting

over tea/coffee. Sitting on the verandah, Bekas Pinang (betel nut, sirih, gambir, kapur ) was always available as a matter of custom. Almost all

men and women were smokers of rokok daun (nipah leave) or cigar of which Cap Ikan was the most popular one. For those using smoking pipe

(encui), Tembakau Cap Nenas was a must.

The village houses then were always two-storey high, leaving the lower opened and airy. It was used to store the

farmers’ equipment and everything else. The wooden houses had roof made of rembia or nipah. A group of ladies

would gather prepare these attap known as menyemat. A pinang tree or bamboo was cut to strips to be

mengkawan and bemban which would bind the rembia leaves together. The house floor was always covered with a

“carpet” known as tikar mengkuang, of which a laborious task and high weaving skills were needed.

In the old days, the concept of gotong-royong (cooperation) was a principle people lived by. One good example

was 'house-moving'. Yes, they would physically lift and move the whole house to a new location! Most of the time, the

distance would be less than 10 metres, except for my father’s house. Our house was originally situated behind Sekolah

Kebangsaan Tunjang until the land was acquired by the government for a new river construction. We moved the house

next to my grandmother’s home which was about 1.5 km away. The whole able-bodied men in the village extended

their service over two days, literally carrying the unit on their shoulders over the rice field during the dry season.

Foolish as it might sound, but that was the way life was and that was the kind of spirit existed then.

Before 1970s we did not have the luxury of tap water. A few nearby houses would share a well. The search for the

well would call for the village experts to determine a suitable location where mata air runs. True enough, the wells

were never dry throughout the year enabling dwellers to use it for drinking, cooking, bathing and washing clothes. As

night falls, a few pelita minyak (kerosene lamp) would be placed in the middle of the living room and kitchen. The

children who attended Quran reading night classes would place the lamp in a big tin biscuit which front part was cut

out. This was to avoid the wind from blowing out the light. A humble innovation.

There were many other pastimes enjoyed by the former

generation. The children played marble, tops, kite flying, rubber bands,

galah panjang, cakpelung (bamboo guns), police and thieves,

congkak, batu 7, sole, toi, tuju tin, fish fighting (anak karin) and

sometimes cock fighting too. Kereta Pot was a creative improvisation

of a car made of tin cans with spindle and handle. The joyful kids

would push it around the neighbourhood, annoying those taking

afternoon naps. Every game came in its own season. True to a line of

Santana’s song, “Let the children play”, every single one promoted

spirit of camaraderie and tolerance. Drug abuse was never heard of.

Life was not complicated then. We walked or cycled to school. The

teachers did not come to work with flashing cars or designer clothes.

None of them was involved in multi-level marketing, insurance or petty

business. There was no smart-phone, tablet or netbook. On the way

home we passed a stall that sold “Iced Ball” for 10 sens. Sometimes

we would buy Rojak, Mee Goreng or Pasembor from an uncle who go

round our village pushing a tri-cycle cart. There was even an old

China-man called “Ayoi” who peddled tit-bits like ground-nuts, sweets

and ingredients for cooking. The most notable item was a kind of

biscuit known as “Ayam-Itek” because it came in the form of various

animals including elephants, horses, cows and pigs too. Of course no

one cried foul as in the recent case involving Cadbury…

In retrospect, life was fun and fulfilling. At 55 years of age, I have a strong sense of belonging to my root, lots of memories to cherish and I

feel blessed in this land of plenty and peace. Alhamdulillah. Thank you God.

Footnote:

Between May and the first two weeks of June, it is normally quiet in our polytechnic. Only a

handful of students remained to take up short-semester courses. New June 2014 intake commences on 16

of the month. POLIMAS is slated to receive a total of 1216 freshies under 16 diploma. This semester we are

introducing a new programme at the Electrical Engineering Department; Diploma in Electrical and Electronic

Engineering (DEE). Norsyam bt Omar has been named as its Head of Programme (HoP). The Malaysian

Qualification Agency (MQA 01) document has been submitted to the authority before we are allowed to

advertise for intake. It contains the 9 areas like:

Vision, Mission, Objective, Outcome Curriculum Design and Delivery Students Evaluation Students Criteria and Students Support Services Academic Staff Educational Resources Monitoring and Programme Revision Leadership, Governance and Administration Continual Quality Improvement

Let us all welcome the parents and new students from near and far. The fact that they choose

our polytechnic means they put their trust on us. The management is calling everyone to play his/her role well. Together we make POLIMAS flag to fly high again.